Chapter 54: The Rumors Were True? (4)
This is really troublesome. I ended up stimulating the vigilance of the Security Force. And it’s the second son of the Herduke family, no less. Haha.
“By the way, there’s nothing a person can’t do if they set their mind to it……”
I laughed awkwardly, looking at the 4-meter-high wall with 3-meter-tall iron bars rising above a 1-meter-high brick wall.
It wasn’t difficult to climb over, thanks to the latticework in the middle, but the fact that I finished it within 5 seconds is a miracle. Although my shoulders and legs are a bit sore.
Let’s thank Levidian here for helping me increase my strength. Oh, and also to the owner of the unknown mansion that served as a hiding place. Though I’m sure they wouldn’t want to receive such gratitude.
I carefully climbed over the wall and came out onto the street.
A slight night fog had settled, and the yellow light of the streetlights clustered and floated in dots beyond the fog. The night sky was full of stars, and the moon was reasonably bright, but the horizontal visibility was narrow.
For some reason, on a night like this, it wouldn’t be strange if a murder happened.
The darker parts were barely visible in the light night fog, and wouldn’t it be the perfect weather if a scream was heard from afar?
Let’s stop. I thought about this yesterday and the day before yesterday.
The day before yesterday, it was so bright that I thought about the horrors happening under the clear moonlight, and yesterday, it was raining, so I imagined the blood being washed away by the rain and drawing patterns on the paving stones.
Thinking about the gruesome sight of people dying or getting hurt is honestly not right. This isn’t a battlefield, so let’s not think about people dying.
I know because I’ve died.
Death, simply put, is really unpleasant. Ordinary people wouldn’t have any memories after death, but remembering death is very unpleasant. It feels like you’ve lived your whole life.
I took out my pocket watch and checked the time. I had to stare at it for a while because of the darkness before I could tell it was 3 a.m.
The servants in our mansion wake up between 4 and 5 a.m. to prepare for the morning, so I have to go in before then. And take a short nap. These days, it’s hard to get by without a nap.
“Sigh, did I strike out again today?”
There are three days left.
The ball is on the 14th, so I have to catch him by the dawn of the 13th. Today is the 10th, so there are three nights left.
I scratched my head and put on my mask. The late autumn night was cold, and my breath spread and scattered in the air even when I stood still.
While spreading out the map and heading home, I only checked the secluded alleys. I made that choice because all the crime scenes were in alleys, but so far, there were only chilly air, a few stray cats, and some prostitutes working until dawn in the alleys.
“Oh well, I don’t know. Let’s just take the fast way.”
I took out my compass, got my bearings, looked at the map again, and walked. It’s a little past 4 a.m. now, so if I go smoothly, I’ll arrive home a little past 5 a.m.
“Tsk. This makes all the armor I brought useless.”
I sought Jay and Old Man’s advice for tough armor that would make as little noise as possible.
Thanks to Jay’s enthusiastic advice and Old Man’s appropriate tackles, I ended up wearing tight leather clothes and leather armor. As for weapons, I wore a longsword and an Iperfect dagger on my waist. And there’s a coil of rope on my lower back.
With a hood and mask covering my head and neck, I looked like a thief to anyone who saw me. With a cloak for the cold, it’s like saying,”I’m dangerous. Security Force, if you want to make a contribution, first come, first served.”
Anyway, with this outfit and armor, I’m confident I can catch the saw-wielding serial killer even if he appears. I’d be very worried if he was a unique martial artist using a saw, or if he wasn’t human.
The biggest problem is that he doesn’t show up, though.
Tap, tap, tap……
Even though I tried to be as quiet as possible, my leather boots made noise as I walked slowly.
I wanted to get boots that night visitors use, but Jay shook his head.”If you get caught, your hobby will be questioned.”I have no intention of adding a phantom thief, let alone a detective, to the hobby list of the Duke’s second son.
Tap, tap, tap……
Alleys are pitch black unless someone lights a lamp. It’s good enough when the moonlight comes in, but the alleys created between multi-story buildings don’t get much moonlight at this time when the moon is setting.
Only the sound of my footsteps echoes in the dark alley.
The cold darkness sits heavily, as if it has density. Sometimes it gets a little brighter when I reach an intersection, but until then, the darkness actively asserts its territory.
People say they feel fear when engulfed in darkness. But I don’t feel much fear right now.
The source of fear is death, and since I’ve experienced death, have I become unable to feel fear unless it’s direct death?
No, that’s not it either. When I tease Levidian and she gets angry, I get so scared that my knees tremble……Maybe this is why men say women are scary.
“Sigh, this is useless. They say you only get sentimental at night……”
Someone said that night is the non-intoxicating liquor that God gave to people. I feel strangely sentimental when it’s night.
Stop thinking useless thoughts, go home, brush your teeth, and go to sleep, Arisein.
It was around the time I was walking for a while, leaving behind feelings suitable for the night, such as emptiness, shame, and bitterness, in the darkness.
……!
“Huh?”
I definitely heard something. Some sound stimulated my ears.
It wasn’t the sound of a cat I saw on the road, nor the sound of those engrossed in making babies until dawn, nor the sound of those who do that kind of work as a profession.
I looked around at the entrance of a small intersection. I definitely heard something……? I closed my eyes and focused on the sound. The night gathered all the surrounding sounds and delivered them to my ears.
The sound of the wind passing by and the windows creaking, the small footsteps of nocturnal animals, the sound of my own heart hidden inside my body……
Finally, the sound I wanted reached my ears.
“Kyaaaa……”
A very small, but definitely a scream, a high-pitched sound was heard. It was like the voice of a prima donna in a theater starting to sing in soprano.
“Is it that way?!”
I started sprinting towards the road extending north. Could it be that the serial killer appeared?
Half of the road was dimly lit by moonlight, so there was some visibility. But the fog that clung to my forehead every time I ran was very unpleasant.
The screams grew louder in proportion to the unpleasantness.
“He, Help me-! Mom-!”
This time it’s that way!
I ran to the right at the three-way intersection. It was a woman’s voice, and it sounded quite young.
Thump, thump, thump, thump-!
The sound of footsteps spread out as if engraved in the air. I kept running towards the sound, and eventually arrived at a four-way intersection where a river could be seen.
Where is it?! Where is it?!
Suddenly, I saw a shadow swiftly passing by the river. I instinctively turned and ran. He was holding something long in his hand.
At least a stick as long as a longsword.
Or a carpenter’s saw.
Maybe this is……!
I ran out of the road and turned immediately left. And in front of my eyes, instead of the back of the fleeing guy, light flashed.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
“What?!”
Crash!
Three short seconds passed, thinking about the sword training when Levidian was in a bad mood, being beaten all over with a club. Meanwhile, my body was rolling around 3 meters away from where I originally was.
Ouch, my head……
“Ugh, wha, what?”
I rubbed my stiff neck and turned my head. Right in front of the alley where I thought I ran out, Joey was standing……No. A well-built shadow was standing there.
I couldn’t see his face clearly because it was dark, but his broad shoulders, height that seemed to be at least 190 centimeters, and thick arms were quite impressive.
He said in a very husky voice.
“Ugh. This is it.”
And then he fell straight back. Thud!
“Huh?”
I furrowed my brows and made a pathetic sound.
What, what? I think I bumped into that person……But I’m the one who fell! Hey, I’m the victim!
Absurdity, questions, and bewilderment raised their heads like a snake. I got up and approached the man who had fallen back, spreading his arms and legs haphazardly.
The man wearing baggy clothes and holding a wand that seemed dwarfed by his physique in his hand……looked like a wizard, but somehow, those muscles were hindering that thought.
I said to the man who was expressing ‘unidentified’ with his whole body.
“Hey, hey……”
And at that moment, the man eloquently revealed his condition.
Rumble……!
A huge sound that was hard to believe was coming from a human being echoed from the man’s stomach, and then a husky voice came out of his mouth again.
“Hungry……”
Hey, hey.
“What the hell is the Security Force doing! They always come and look at me with lewd eyes! Aren’t they the Pervert Force instead of the Security Force?! Ouch! Be careful! Are you looking down on my job because my feet are always busy?! You know how many customers are interested in my shoulders these days! Treat me properly!”
The victim was indeed a woman. She was twenty-two years old, and she was a hostess who was late because she had provided the ‘falling asleep exhausted from ecstasy’ service during her business trip.
Since the rental carriage was no longer available, she had no choice but to walk along the river back to the club. On her way, she had a creepy feeling and turned her head, and that’s when the saw blade grazed her shoulder.
In a moment of panic and fear, her body froze, and a man appeared and started to push back the saw-wielding assailant.
Meanwhile, she screamed, and the saw-wielding assailant made a desperate escape with movements that were impossible to understand……
“So you were running after him……and bumped into this person, ahem! This gentleman?”
“Yes, that’s right! Gulp! How many times do I have to, munch, say it?!”
The wizard who claimed that he had collapsed from hunger due to the tension being released after bumping into me – was now sitting at the table and performing terrifying magic.
It’s the first time I’ve seen food disappear at such a fast pace.
‘Permed Hendi,’ the captain of the 16th Patrol Unit of the 3rd Security Office, crossed his arms, checked the rest of the report, and asked the wizard who was still performing scary magic.
“So……Lu, Lucy, are you sure you didn’t miss anything in the suspect’s description? Think about it again, Lu……Lucy.”
The wizard, who was about 185 centimeters tall and seemed to weigh about 90 kilograms, with most of his weight being muscle, twitched the scar that ran from his left cheek to his neck and made a threatening expression.
“Damn it! Are you looking down on a wizard’s memory?!”
“Th, That’s not it.”
“Damn! Then stop bothering me while I’m eating!”
And the muscular, scarred wizard……the wizard who identified himself as ‘Lucy’ devoted himself to the magic of making food disappear.
Whoever his parents are, it must have been a huge mistake to give him a name that would lead to the nickname Lucy with that face and physique. If it’s not a nickname, I’ll curse the world.
His strong forearms, revealed by rolling up his robe sleeves to his shoulders, were full of small scars that testified to the years he had lived. There were some scars on his face, but the highlight was the 15-centimeter-long scar that ran from his left cheek to his neck, as mentioned earlier.
His short brown hair added to his powerful appearance, but the problem was that none of it suited a ‘wizard.’
I took a sip of tea and asked listlessly.
“Hey, are you really a wizard?”
“Huh?”
Lucy – ah, his real name is hard to get used to – who had a freshly boiled shrimp in his mouth, turned to me, and the security officers and Permed behind him nodded in unison. Some of them looked at me as if they were grateful that I had asked the question they really wanted to ask.
He chewed and swallowed the shrimp, shell and all, and reached for the bag under the table.
“Want to see my spellbook?”
Thud!
With a heavy sound, a huge book that could be used as a shield if it had a handle descended upon the table. And as soon as I saw it, I knew it was a spellbook.
Of course, I don’t have any special talent for recognizing things like spellbooks.
It’s just that the black leather cover had a very nice leather inlay that created a beautiful pattern, and there was writing on it that I could recognize, boasting the book’s identity.
<Luci’s Spellbook>
……
‘Luci’s Spellbook,’ are you kidding me?! And what are those star and flame patterns?! (I don’t even want to mention that the letters are written inside a heart pattern. Is this a new kind of bad taste?!)
He crossed his arms and said very proudly.
“So, what do you think? I’m a wizard, right?”
That’s not something to be proud of!
In the end, this farce ended with him showing a pendant that proved he was a member of the Magicians’ Guild. Seeing him choose the difficult way when there was a simple way, I don’t know where to start tackling.
I decided to ignore the wizard for now. Once I made that decision, I was able to talk to Captain Permed Hendi much more easily. It was the most beneficial decision I’ve made lately.
“For now, she’s the first survivor. And we can also get help from that wizard……so we should be able to get a pretty accurate description of the suspect.”
“That’s a relief. Oh, and about my story……”
“Only two people will be on the report. You’re not one of them.”
“Thank you, Sir Permed.”
What’s really fortunate for me is that this man knows Ronen Trigger. Ronen Trigger, who had finished his mission as an envoy, called his friends and told them many stories, including mine.
And surprisingly, I was quite famous.
The story of the second son of the Herduke family who defeated the second son of the Salain family in a duel was quite famous not only in social circles but also among the citizens of the capital.
Permed Hendi smiled and said.
“As rumored, you seem to have an extraordinary sense of justice. You had a duel for your teacher’s honor, and now you’re secretly going out to catch a serial killer. If it had been public, people would have said you were seeking fame.”
“My father wouldn’t have allowed it in the first place. Anyway, thanks for keeping it a secret.”
Thank you very much. And thank you even more for interpreting my actions positively on your own.
Come to think of it, after the duel with the envoy, my reputation spread to the commoners, and if I catch the serial killer, I think I’ll become even more famous.
All I can gain at a time like this is fame.
The Grand Ball is good, but if I solve this case well, it means I can gain considerable fame from the citizens of the capital.
“You’re welcome. But be careful. I heard from Brother Ronen that your skills are extraordinary, but the culprit doesn’t seem like a simple madman.”
“He definitely doesn’t.”
I finished my meal and looked at Lucy, who was patting his stomach and making the lazy expression of a full tiger. The culprit had a brief exchange with him.
Considering the time it took me to run after hearing the scream, it must have been quite a long time. Considering Lucy’s physique and the brief glimpse I had of the culprit’s physique, I could tell that he was quite skilled.
First of all, since he’s a wizard, he probably wouldn’t be very proficient in martial arts, but he has a physique that makes his wizard’s staff look small. He’s also 20 centimeters taller than me.
These two conditions alone make this wizard a difficult opponent to defeat for those who are similar to me. And the culprit, presumably, was about the same size as me.
I said with a cautious expression.
“We should be careful. But the worst-case scenario that everyone is worried about won’t happen. Are there any other news?”
“Well, now that you mention it, there is something that’s bothering me.”
“What is it?”
I frowned, and Permed Hendi said seriously with a serious expression.
“They say that an unidentified stranger has been appearing on the streets at night and running away whenever he sees a security officer. He’s elusive, his purpose is unknown, and he doesn’t seem to be related to this serial murder case, so it’s difficult to mobilize investigative power……especially when we’re so busy……”
He made a truly tired expression. And I had to look away, looking at the eastern sky that was gradually brightening.
Ah, it’s time to go home. Hahaha.
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